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George O'Hanlon
George O'Hanlon (November 23, 1912 – February 11, 1980) was a screen actor, comedian, and voice actor well known for being the original voice actor for George Jetson. Early life and career He was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 23, 1912. Movie fans know him best as the star of Warner Bros' live-action Joe McDoakes short subjects from 1942 to 1956. Television viewers recognize him as the original voice of George Jetson in Hanna-Barbera's 1962 prime-time animated television series The Jetsons. However, it's 1981 to 1985 revival had occurred after his death, and the character was voiced by William Reiss. From the early 1940s, O'Hanlon was a character comedian in feature films, usually playing the hero's streetwise, cynical friend. He appeared in features for various studios while continuing the Joe McDoakes role for Warners. After the McDoakes series lapsed in 1956, O'Hanlon returned to character work, mostly in television (two rare post-McDoakes movie appearances are in Bop Girl Goes Calypso and Kronos, both from 1957). Television In 1958, George O'Hanlon played a New York publicist for a fashion model, Loco Jones (Barbara Eden) in her the sitcom, the syndicated romantic comedy, How to Marry a Millionaire. In the autumn of 1964, he appeared as a cab driver in the thirteen-episode CBS drama The Reporter starring Harry Guardino. In 1966, O'Hanlon appeared opposite Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden's loudmouthed "bum brother-in-law", on Gleason's first TV show of the 1966-1967 season. He also made various appearances on Love, American Style, a series for which he wrote the screenplays and also directed several episodes. In 1971, O'Hanlon appeared as a bear trainer on The Partridge Family, Season 2, episode 206, "Whatever Happened to Moby Dick?". Writer A part from acting the comedian wrote screenplays and also wrote the storyboard for nearly all of the Joe McDoakes shorts. He also wrote stories for television series in the 1960s such as Petticoat Junction, 77 Sunset Strip and even wrote episodes for HB's The Flintstones. It is interesting to note that he also auditioned for the role of Fred Flintstone but lost to Alan Reed, however he was remembered when it was time to cast The Jetsons. He once said: "George Jetson is an average man, he has trouble with his boss, he has problems with his kids, and so on. The only difference is that he lives in the next century". Personal life and death O'Hanlon married Nancy, a fellow actor, and they had two children (actor George O'Hanlon, Jr and daughter Laurie O'Hanlon, a registered nurse). They remained married until his death. George O'Hanlon died of stroke on February 11, 1980. A few moments before his death, he completed his role as George Jetson in Jetsons: The Movie. According to voice director Andrea Romano, O'Hanlon had suffered a second stroke and found it difficult to read and hear and in the end he died in the recording studio doing what he loved. The film was finished in time to dedicate the film to O'Hanlon, along with co-star Mel Blanc, who died later the same year. His interment was located in Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Cemetery in Westlake Village, California. Following his death, William Reiss took over as the voice of George Jetson for the rest of the series. Category:Real life characters Category:Deceased characters